On From This Place, Pat Metheny, who is joined by drummer Antonio Sanchez, bassist Linda May Han Oh, pianist Gwilym Simcock, the Hollywood Studio Symphony led by Joel McNeely, and special guests Meshell Ndegeocello (vocals), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), and Luis Conte (percussion). "This is extraordinary music," says Stereogum. “His most audacious album yet," exclaims Mojo, "a breathtakingly immersive experience that affirms Metheny as a consummate musical storyteller. A transcendent album, From This Place is possibly the Missouri fretboard maestro’s most impressive opus yet.” 

Composer/multi-instrumentalist Jeff Parker's album Suite for Max Brown (International Anthem / Nonesuch Records)—named for and dedicated to his mother—features nine original songs plus "Gnarciss," an interpretation of Joe Henderson's "Black Narcissus," and John Coltrane's "After the Rain." Parker plays the majority of the instruments on the album. "The veteran guitarist has created an effortlessly detailed album, full of tradition and experimentation that spans generations," says Pitchfork. "It lives at the vanguard of new jazz music."

"We’ve spent the last couple years writing songs and recording demos in various places round the world, assembling the bones of what will be our next album," say The Staves. "This song was written in a bedroom in east London and, later, recorded in a studio in Wisconsin. It’s been a while since we put new music out and we thought that seeing as this is the season of giving, we’d let one of these demos surface for anybody who is interested to hear ... We appreciate our wonderful fans so much and thought it would be a cool thing to show you a small sliver of the process ... The song is called 'Nothing’s Gonna Happen.' Yes, 'gonna' sounds American doesn’t it? And we are not. But it flows the right way. And, well, what you gonna do?"